Navigating the Midlife Shift: A Study to Explore Menopausal Symptoms and Perceived Stress

Bavanipriya V ¹ * and Abirami M ²

¹ Associate Professor, Bhaarath College of Nursing, Bharath Insititute of Higher
Education and Research (BIHER), Selaiyur, Tambaram, Chennai - 73, TamilNadu,
India
² Professor, Vice-Principal, Bhaarath College of Nursing, Bharath Isititute of Higher
Education and Research (BIHER), Selaiyur, Tambaram, Chennai - 73, TamilNadu,
India

*Corresponding Author: Bavanipriya V, Associate Professor, Bhaarath College of Nursing, Bharath Insititute of Higher Education and Research (BIHER), Selaiyur, Tambaram, Chennai - 73, TamilNadu, India.

Received: January 19, 2026; Published: January 31, 2026

Abstract

With changes in the physiological life cycle and severe hormonal changes as they pass through, middle - aged women are the most vulnerable group and likely to experience physical and mental health issues like hot flushes, sweating, muscular discomfort, stress, anxiety and depression. Finding middle - aged women’s menopausal symptoms and their relationship is the main goal. To determine them, a cross-sectional study conducted on 106 middle-aged women between the ages of 40 and 60, a semi-structured interview using Modified Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS). Followed by perception of stress evaluated using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The present study shows the mean age of menopause, 47.2 + 5.6 years. 3 most prevalent menopausal symptoms were joint and muscular discomfort reported by 103 women (97.3%), physical and mental exhaustion reported by 86 women (81.1%) and sleeping problems reported by 88 women. There is a significant strong association of menopausal symptoms and stress.

 Keywords: Menopause; Middle - Aged Women; Stress; MRS; PSS

References

Citation

Citation: Bavanipriya V and Abirami M. “Navigating the Midlife Shift: A Study to Explore Menopausal Symptoms and Perceived Stress Among Middle- Aged Women in an Urban Community". Acta Scientific Women's Health 8.2 (2026): 11-18.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Bavanipriya V and Abirami M. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.